A Stuttering Start
by Redtop1995
Summary: In 1935, Warner Bros Animation is in financial trouble due to both the Great Depression and their current mascot. Six new toons star in a short directed by Freleng...but only one of them is the most popular. Will Buddy take being replaced well? Characters are owned by Warner Bros
1. Saving the Studio

**A STUTTERING START**

By **Redtop95**

**1935**

Leon Schlesinger sat in his office at Termite Terrace. Times had been hard for the animation side of Warner Bros Studios. Money had been tight: very tight.

The trouble was, Schlesinger didn't know whether it was due to the Depression…or their new star that had hastily been made to replace Bosko after Harman and Ising had walked out on them to work at MGM.

Their new "star" had burnt out from the start. Then again, their cartoons had never really been given much attention compared to works made by either Disney or Fleischer. Maybe Warner Bros didn't need an animation studio…

A knock at the door snapped him out of his bitter thoughts. "Come in," he grunted. The door was opened by Friz Freleng.

"Sir," he told his boss, "we need fresh cels for the next Buddy cartoon". Schlesinger rolled his eyes in frustration. "How many times do I have to tell you, Freleng?" he muttered. "We don't need new cels for every cartoon you work on. Go get Jones to wash 'em!"

It was Freleng's turn to roll his eyes. "With all due respect, Mr Schlesinger," he said, trying valiantly not to yell, "we're not saving money by usin' the same cels!"

"And we ain't earning money with our cartoons, either!" Schlesinger retorted fiercely. Freleng was rather taken aback, but before he could speak again, his boss continued. "It's a miracle that Warner hasn't closed this outhouse down yet," he stated bitterly, "what does Disney do that we can't do to draw in crowds? I even heard they're gonna start makin' cartoons in colour from now on!"

"Well, maybe…" Freleng began. "It's because of our new mascot!" Schlesinger interrupted. "We did everything Disney did: he's nice, he's friendly, he's got a squeaky voice, he's…he's boring, Freleng!"

"We've tried to come up with Buddy cartoons that are funny, but we can't!" Freleng protested. "Clampett says he's just Bosko in whiteface!"

"You may as well stop comin' up with new ideas, Freleng" Schlesinger nearly shouted, "because I've decided to close this place down. Nobody watches our cartoons, so there's no point in makin' any more!"

Freleng was shocked. "You're…you're firing us?" he gasped. "Yes," the boss muttered sullenly. "Looney Tunes is no more. I'm sure you an' the boys can find work elsewhere. Maybe," he gave a hollow laugh, "you can go see if Fleischer needs anybody to direct Betty Boop!"

"You're bein' too hasty, sir," Freleng protested. "Maybe it's Buddy who needs to go!"

Schlesinger didn't like where Freleng was going with his idea. "Maybe Warner Bros Animation needs a new mascot!" Freleng went on. "A mascot that lives up to the name of our cartoons!"

"A new character needs new ink, new paper, new cels, the works," Schlesinger grumbled, "and they all cost money…which we're losin'!"

"Maybe we'll earn more money if people like this new mascot!" Freleng countered. Schlesinger muttered as he massaged his forehead. Why did working in show business always mean that you had to spend money?

"Fine," he said gruffly after a brief pause. "I'll give you a week to come up with a new character and a short. But," he added warningly. "If this cartoon's a stinker, Termite Terrace is closed…and you won't be able to change my mind, this time!"

Freleng was relieved to hear this. "Don't worry, sir," he replied. "Once Buddy's outta the picture, we'll all get the recognition we deserve!" He turned and left the office, closing the door behind him.

Schlesinger went back to sulking. Somehow, he felt that he'd be losing his job once Freleng had finished his new cartoon.


	2. The New Stars

**A STUTTERING START**

**The New Stars**

A week later, Schlesinger walked cautiously up to Freleng's office door. He had a biting feeling that Freleng would probably use up more money than the studio was worth. _Buddy's Theatre _had not done that well in theatres, and he didn't know whether this was due to Buddy or Hardaway.

Reluctantly, he knocked on the door. After a short pause, Freleng answered it. "Well," Schlesinger asked gruffly, "where's your new star that'll save our jobs?" The young director grinned confidently. "I think you mean new stars, sir," he corrected his aging boss.

Schlesinger's blood ran cold. "New stars, Freleng?" he asked, trying valiantly not to yell. "How much did it cost you to make 'em?" Freleng rolled his eyes. "Don't you wanna meet 'em before deciding to talk about costs?" he asked. "Besides, these new toons are gonna make so much money that people will wanna see 'em all the time an' we'll have to let Buddy go!"

Schlesinger rolled his eyes at the young animator's enthusiasm. "Alright, Freleng," he said at last. "Let's see 'em…" With an excited grin, Freleng opened the door to his office.

Six wide-eyed toons wandered into the corridor and up to the producer. Unlike Buddy, these toons were animals. There were two cats, one male with overalls and one female wearing a pinafore, two puppies, a bespectacled owlet and a chubby piglet wearing a simple sweater.

Schlesinger looked down at them, then at Freleng. "Is this the best you can come up with?" he asked gruffly. "They look like they came straight outta a Disney cartoon!" The toons looked at each other uncertainly. They didn't appear to be making a good first impression. Freleng was adamant.

"They haven't appeared in one yet, sir!" he protested. "But trust me, they're gonna save our studio! I have the cartoon all planned out!" He pointed down at the six toons, who looked more hopeful at the animator's assurance.

"Y'see, I based 'em off those kids in those shorts produced by Hal Roach," the animator explained. "Roach…" Schlesinger mused, "isn't he the guy who produces the Laurel and Hardy shorts?"

"Yeah, but this is what's gonna happen in the cartoon," Freleng went on hurriedly, "these toons are gonna be in one of those school recitals and…" As he explained what the cartoon was going to be, Schlesinger looked down at the fat little pig. For some reason, out of all these characters, he seemed to be the most eye-catching.

The pig was aware that the middle-aged producer was looking at him. He tried looking anywhere but at the man. He could feel his cheeks turning red with embarrassment. Finally, the man spoke.

"So the pig's gonna be the lead, is he?" he asked. Freleng stopped talking in confusion. "Who, Porky?" he stated in disbelief. "No, sir, he isn't. Beans, here," he pointed to the male cat, "is the main star. He wants some candy from Oliver," he pointed to the owl, "but he won't share. So Beans decides ta ruin Oliver's piano recital!"

Schlesinger pondered as he heard what the animator had planned. "So if these Oliver and Beans characters are the main stars," he asked, "what was the point of makin' four other toons?"

"They'll be performing in the recital," Freleng immediately replied. "Lil' Kitty," he patted the female cat's head, "is gonna recite some nursery rhymes, Ham and Ex," he pointed to the twin puppies, "are gonna sing 'I Haven't Got a Hat' and Porky's gonna recite a poem"

Schlesinger wasn't feeling too sure about this cartoon. It sounded too much like something Buddy would star in. He looked down at Porky once more. "I've an idea!" he suggested, "Why don't ya make the pig the lead instead of the cat?"

Porky pointed to himself in shock as several pairs of eyes fell upon him. "Well, I would, but he's kinda got a…problem" Freleng replied. Schlesinger shook his head. The pig had to be the main star in the cartoon. He was the only character he could remember!

"Surely he can speak for himself, Freleng," he dismissed. Looking down at the shivering swine, he asked "Why don't ya say something, son?"

Porky swallowed and opened his mouth. "Th-Th-Th-Thank y-y-y-you, M-M-M-Mister Sch-Sch-Sch-Schle-le-le…" The producer's jaw dropped in shock. He could see what Freleng meant by a "problem".

"You're right, Freleng" he stated bluntly. "Do you have any idea how much it'll cost us for extra reels just so he can read his lines? There's no way he'll be famous with a stutter like that!"

Porky's heart sank and his lip quivered as he heard the producer say these words. "It's a shame, though," Schlesinger went on, "he looked pretty interestin'!"

"Don't be too hard on him, sir," Freleng hastily interrupted as he saw Porky's expression. "I don't know why he has it, but he can't help it!"

Before Schlesinger could reply, they heard somebody approaching. "Hiya folks!" squeaked an unbearably grating voice. "I've just finished working on another GREAT cartoon!"

Buddy strode up to them, his abnormally wide eyes closed in a Cheshire cat grin. "Who's that?" Beans asked, speaking for the first time in a rather childish voice. "That," Freleng answered grimly, "is Buddy. You'll be replacing him once your first cartoon is released…"

Buddy reached the group of young toons and regarded them with mild amusement. "Hi, fellas!" he greeted. "I don't remember seein' you in any of my cartoons!"

The six toons were confused as to why Freleng and Schlesinger didn't like this wide-eyed toon. He seemed nice. "They're brand new, Buddy," Schlesinger explained with forced friendliness.

"Oh!" Buddy squeaked. "Are they gonna star in one o' my new cartoons?"

Before either Schlesinger or Freleng could reply, Beans spoke up. "We're gonna be in our own cartoon!" he said cheerily. Before Freleng could stop him, Beans added "And Friz says that we'll replace ya!" Porky and the other toons nodded gleefully.

Freleng cringed. He and Schlesinger looked down to see Buddy's expression as he visibly took in what the overall-clad cat had just told him.

The animated man's sickly-sweet grin darkened into a scowl, which made the six toons quiver with fright. Buddy rounded on Freleng, his owl-like eyes blazing with anger.

"WHAT'S GOIN' ON, FRELENG?!" he squawked. "YOU'RE REPLACING ME WITH THESE BRATS?!"

"Now, now, Buddy," Freleng counselled, "Lemme explain…"

"YOU'RE MAKIN' A BIG MISTAKE, PAL!" Buddy shrilled fiercely. "I'M THE FELLA WHOSE HELPIN' EVERYONE COPE WITH THE DEPRESSION!" Everybody winced and a few windows broke. "The way you've been acting," Schlesinger thought to himself, "you caused the Depression…"

"People love me!" Buddy shrieked. "The reason my cartoons haven't made much money is because those folks can't spare a dime!" He pointed at Beans and the others. "These ink spots'll ruin ya! Nobody'll wanna watch a cartoon with some bratty cats or fat pigs!"

The six toons were aghast by the man's rudeness! Porky, who had just been told that he wouldn't be a famous star, looked down at his plump belly, a tear in his eye.

"Mr Schlesinger, sir?" Everybody turned to see Chuck Jones hurrying towards them. Buddy glared at the bespectacled young man. "Shouldn't you be animatin' my next cartoon?" he demanded.

Jones ignored him and turned his attention to Schlesinger. He was carrying a sheet in his hand. "We just got a telegram," he told his boss. Schlesinger took it and read what it had to say.

"We're gettin' a new animator, boys," he told Freleng and Jones. "His name's Frederick Bean Avery. According to this telegram, he used ta work on those Oswald cartoons at Universal…" Beans' eyes lit up. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "He has my name!" He subsided as Buddy glowered at him.

Schlesinger looked rather annoyed by this news. "At least we'll have more help with animating," he grumbled, "but that means I'll have another guy ta pay!"

"Friz says that ya won't hafta worry about money once we make our first cartoon, sir…" Lil' Kitty piped up, shyly brushing her foot across the floor.

Buddy snarled and rounded on Freleng. "I'll show you!" he squeaked. "I'll make so much money for you bums that you'll hafta give these brats," he pointed at Beans and his friends, "the paint remover!"

Before anybody could say something, Buddy shoved Ham and Ex out of the way and stormed off. "At least Hardaway's the only one who makes any sense in this outhouse!" he shouted without looking back.

"I say," Oliver remarked after a long silence, "what an unpleasant fellow!"

"Yes, he is," Freleng agreed. "But don't worry. We'll never see him again once your first cartoon is in theatres!"

"Don't count your chickens, Freleng," Schlesinger said gruffly as he took another look at the telegram. "Whoever this Avery is," he thought to himself, "I doubt he'll make a difference to our cartoons…"


	3. A Bad First Impression

**A STUTTERING START**

**A Bad First Impression**

Freleng was undaunted by Buddy's threat. He just knew that the six toons that he had just created would save Termite Terrace. He had the plot of the cartoon all planned out and he was getting ready to direct his new star, Beans the Cat, in the short that would launch the studio into recognition.

The six toons stood in the wooden schoolhouse in which their first cartoon, _I Haven't Got a Hat_, was going to take place. Freleng had given everybody their instructions. Due to Schlesinger's concerns about using up too much recording equipment with Porky, the short had to be filmed in just one take.

Poor Porky, Freleng had thought to himself. There was no way that people would find an animated pig with an incessant stutter amusing. He felt sure that Beans would move on to great things, and so would Lil' Kitty, Ham, Ex and Oliver. Porky, on the other hand, was an experimental Toon that he felt sure would most likely be left behind.

The pig in question was standing in the corner of the schoolhouse, looking decidedly gloomy. It just wasn't fair. He didn't know how he got his stutter. He was just drawn with it! Something else was bothering him as well. When he had finally been drawn, he had overheard Freleng mutter something about "an experiment". Freleng hadn't said that about Beans or the others. Did that mean he was a dud? A reject? Due to Schlesinger saying that it would cost too much to record his lines, he felt sure that this would be his first and last cartoon.

"Alright, everybody in position!" Freleng suddenly called out. "It's time to start filming!" Porky put a hand to his mouth as his fellow actors rushed to and fro to start work. He couldn't remember where he was supposed to go! What was he going to do? It was his first short, too! What would people say?

"Porky, whadda ya doin'?!" Beans demanded impatiently. The pig looked up to see everybody looking at him with mingled expressions of amusement and impatience. "S-S-S-S-Sorry, f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-fellas," he apologised, his face turning red with embarrassment. "I-I-I-I-I f-f-f-f-f-f-f-forg-g-g-g-g-got wh-wh-wh-wh-wher-where I w-w-w-w-w-w-was s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-supo…"

"Just go to the desks, Porky!" Freleng snapped, his voice saturated with annoyance. The pig scuttled over to the school desks and sat down in front of Beans, looking anywhere but at his peers. He saw a book and decided to read it, trying his hardest to remember the poem he was supposed to recite.

"Lights…Camera…ACTION!" Freleng shouted. Porky swallowed hard as the "parents" began to speak and the other generic Toons began to do what the script had dictated. Was he supposed to recite _Charge of the Light Brigade_…or _Paul Revere's Ride_? It was too late to look at his script to see! He was so busy fretting about this that he barely heard Miss Cud ring her cowbell and make some sort of announcement.

Then, everybody started clapping, causing him to jump. What was going on? Was this in the script? Suddenly, he felt somebody tap the book he was reading. Looking up, he saw an exasperated Beans point to the front of the class.

The pig got to his feet and scuttled towards the stage, his mind racing. He was supposed to go first? He didn't remember Freleng saying that! He also couldn't remember which poem he was supposed to recite! Maybe he had to recite the both of them?

He reached the stage and put his hands behind his back, trying to ignore the knot in his stomach.

"H-Hum, uh, H-Hum, uh, L-Listen m-muh, m-my, m-my children, and you shall hear," he recited, trying to remember the next stanza. Beans and the others tried not to look chagrined by his stuttering, but they were secretly annoyed by how long this filming was going to take.

"Of the mid, of the mid, of the mid, of the Midnight Ri-Ri-Ride of Pa-hau, Pa-hau, Paul, Re-Re-Revere!" he continued, beginning to jig and slap his behind as if he was riding an invisible horse. "On the eighteenth of April in Se-se-se-seventy-five…" He took out an American flag and marched on the spot.

Freleng watched what was going on. Porky's performance was confirming his prediction. He couldn't tell if Beans and the others were acting, or if they were genuinely bored with having to sit through this recital. But he felt absolutely sure that the audience would have the same reaction.

He jumped as he heard the other classmates all give an impatient whistle and was just in time to witness Porky being chased away by a group of dogs. "Glad that's over," he thought to himself, "now Beans can shine!"

The dogs finally gave up the chase as Porky fled backstage. The poor pig was close to tears. That was a terrible performance. He had mixed the poems up, pointed in the wrong directions in order to prompt the other Toons who were providing the sound effects and had bored everybody to death.

Once he was sure he couldn't be heard on the camera, he began to cry.

"Don't feel bad," a dreadfully familiar voice mocked. Through his tear-filled eyes, Porky looked up to see Buddy gazing at him with a wide grin on his face. The fat little pig immediately knew why the wide-eyed man was so cheerful.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Yo-You're a b-bi-uh, b-bi-uh…" he sobbed.

"Stop talkin'," Buddy interrupted. "You're costin' us too much money!" Porky tried his best to look like he wasn't afraid of Buddy, but judging by the fact that the smirking Toon walked closer to him, he wasn't doing a good job.

"I dunno what Freleng was thinkin'," Buddy chirruped smugly, "but once yer cartoon bombs an' he gets rid of you, he'll realise where he went wrong an' come to his senses. I can't believe he thought that you would replace me. ME, the Toon who's singlehandedly been keepin' this studio afloat!"

Porky looked down at his trotters, unable to retort. He wasn't sure whether this was due to how sad he was or his stutter. Buddy wouldn't have heard it anyway. He had theatrically turned on his heel and was walking away.

"I haven't time ta talk ta failed experiments like you," he called over his shoulder. "I hafta meet up with Hardaway ta make a new funny cartoon!"

Porky stood alone backstage, in a puddle of tears.

"So, you're Frederick Bean Avery?" Schlesinger sat in his office, his stern eyes fixed on the young man stood before him.

"If you don't mind, Mr Schlesinger," the young man timidly replied, "I'd like it if people called me Tex"

"Tex?" Schlesinger looked unimpressed by this request. "Ya do realise I want my workers to animate cartoons, not name themselves after them?" Before Tex could say anything else, Schlesinger continued. "What happened to your eye? The left one?"

"I got a thumbtack in it," Tex explained as casually as possible. "A thumbtack?" Schlesinger wasn't sure if he'd heard right. "Mind tellin' me how that happened?"

"When I was workin' for Walter Lantz," Tex elucidated, "me an' the boys were horsin' around in the studio an' I accidently got a thumbtack in my left eye…" he trailed off as he saw Schlesinger look noticeably unimpressed.

"So you had that accident through bein' reckless?" he asked bluntly, "An' I assume yer blind in that eye"

"Y-Yes…" Tex reluctantly confirmed, "But I think it improved my animatin' skills!"

"Improved, eh?" Schlesinger grunted. "Well, I dunno what Lantz let you get away with at Universal, but I won't have people injurin' my animators!"

"Oh, don't worry, I won't!" Tex hastily replied.

"Just ta be safe," Schlesinger muttered, "You can work on the shorts about those new Toons that Freleng came up with. Then, if yer lucky, you can move up ta Buddy cartoons…"

"Or unlucky…" Tex thought to himself. The Buddy shorts were infamously bad. They made Lantz's Oswald shorts watchable!

"Don't think yer job's secured," Schlesinger snapped warningly. "Yer on trial. Don't go stabbin' Clampett or Jones or somethin'!"

"I won't, sir," Tex promised. "But I might if I hafta work with Buddy…" he thought to himself.

As he left Schlesinger's office, he couldn't help thinking about the "new Toons" that the boss had mentioned. What were they like? They couldn't be as bad as Buddy. Maybe they were actually funny!

Perhaps he could help to improve them…


	4. An Unexpected Show-Stealer

**A STUTTERING START**

**Chapter 4:**

**An Unexpected Show-Stealer**

Schlesinger couldn't believe it… He was dreaming, he had to be! People liked a short from Termite Terrace. A short that one of HIS animators had worked on! He had gone over the telegram several times to find some sort of error. There had to be some sort of mistake. Surely this message had been intended to have been sent to Disney, or someone else.

Then again, why would Jack Warner write to Disney? Schlesinger set the telegram aside for the first time since Clampett had given it to him and thought. It was one of Freleng's shorts that had been praised, and interestingly, this particular short had had nothing to do with Buddy, but rather that chubby little pig and his friends.

It was probably dumb luck, but he thought he should inform Freleng anyway.

Freleng didn't seem surprised at all when he was summoned to the office to receive the news. "I told you my new Toons would be a hit, sir!" he grinned. "We ought to be gettin' rid of Buddy an' makin' Beans our new mascot!"

"Beans?" Schlesinger looked oddly at Freleng. "Who's Beans?" The young animator rolled his eyes. "He was the cat in the dungarees, sir. The star of _I Haven't Got a Hat_, surely you must remember!" he replied in exasperation.

"The cat?" the aging manager racked his brain. "I thought he was that chubby little pig!"

"Porky?" Freleng exclaimed, dumbfounded. "B-But you didn't like his stuttering, sir!" Schlesinger sniffed dismissively. "It's a shame," he remarked, "He was the only member of that gang of yours that looked…Looney. Alright, back to work, Freleng!"

Friz Freleng wasn't sure how he should be feeling about this news. The good news was that his first cartoon with the Beans Gang was a success. The bad news was that the only Toon that audiences had laughed at was Porky. It was impossible that Porky could be the new star! That poem recital was the best thing he could do!

If there was one thing Freleng felt sure about, it was that there was no way that Beans was going to become another Buddy. Beans was going to be the figurehead of Warner Bros Cartoons. Beans was going to save the studio, as well as everybody's jobs.

As he walked back to the studio, he heard the chatter of his peers coming from inside. One of the voices sounded unfamiliar. "So you fellers are stuck makin' those Buddy cartoons?" the unfamiliar voice asked. "Unfortunately," Clampett confirmed, "we had ta come up with somethin' after Harman an' Ising ran out on us. It's a shame it was another Bosko!"

"One 'o' the world's greatest questions is how we're still workin'!" Jones agreed.

"You poor fellers!" the unfamiliar voice laughed. "I usually go ta watch Buddy's cartoons when I have trouble sleepin'!"

Freleng raised an eyebrow as he heard everyone else laugh. Whoever was speaking must be the new animator that the telegram had mentioned.

"Though Lantz's cartoons ain't any better," the unfamiliar voice admitted. "Personally, I blame that Hays Code they set up a few years back! Took all the fun outta animatin'!"

"You ain't wrong there," Clampett agreed bitterly. "Fleischer found his way around it, somehow. Wish we knew how he did it!" Freleng decided to meet the newcomer. If he hated Buddy as much as they did, he couldn't be too bad.

He opened the door, and the warm chatter briefly stopped before his peers recognised him. "Hello, Friz," Clampett greeted, placing a hand on the shoulder of the unfamiliar man. "Thank god, I thought you were Leon. This is that new animator that telegram we got was talkin' about"

"My name's Fred Avery," the newcomer shyly stated to Freleng, "but everyone calls me Tex…" Freleng cautiously extended a hand, and Avery shook it awkwardly.

There was a short pause before Clampett spoke again. "_I Haven't Got a Hat _did pretty well, I hear, Friz!" he stated, "Although that pig was the only one anyone laughed at!"

Freleng felt slightly warm as the others laughed. "It's only their first short, Bob," he replied through gritted teeth, "I'm sure Beans will do better next time…"

"Well, they got more laughs than Buddy ever did," Clampett remarked, "I think you oughta do some solo shorts with the pig. I think ya got yourself a winner with him!"

"Don't let Buddy hear that," Jones grumbled as he gently applied some turpentine to an old cel that had been used several times before, "he's been impossible to work with ever since those Toons were made. It's a good job he only spends his time with Ben, otherwise I'd dump this paint remover all over him!"

"I still think Beans could save the studio," Freleng persisted. "All he needs is another short an' Disney could be takin' us seriously in no time!"

"Who's this Beans you keep talkin' about, Friz?" Clampett asked with a raised eyebrow, "Is he the name of the pig?" Freleng closed his eyes and exhaled in defeat. "I need a break," he muttered, turning abruptly to leave the studio.

"What's eatin' him?" Clampett said to no-one in particular. "If he doesn't like the pig," Avery quietly commented, "d'you reckon he'll let me work with him?"

"I guess so," Jones replied as he vigorously shook the bottle of paint remover, "we often share Toons when it comes ta cartoons we wanna direct…"

"Although no-one wants ta work with Buddy," put in Clampett, "except ol' Ben Hardaway. He's welcome to him…"

"That's good," Avery replied. "If folks find the pig funny, we might have ourselves a winner!"


End file.
